Saint Mary Church

St. Mary is a Roman Catholic church in Norwalk, Connecticut, part of the Diocese of Bridgeport.HistoryThe first Irish came to Connecticut looking for a better life. The English had oppressed the Irish into extreme poverty so that when the famous potato famine hit in 1845, most Irish had come to conclusion that there was little hope of a future in the homeland. While Connecticut was a hopeful place, it was not exactly welcoming. In 1800 it was still illegal for Catholics to own land in Connecticut. This prohibition was lifted in 1833 but anti-Catholicism was on the rise. The Irish Catholics were portrayed as disloyal and lazy so they had many prejudices to overcome. Bishop William Tyler of Southern New England was given the task of founding communities throughout Connecticut and Rhode Island. He resided in Providence, Rhode Island because there were more Catholics there, but he visited the small group of Catholics in Norwalk in 1847. That same year he wrote these words about his pastoral visits: "Next Summer I expect three priests from the College of Drumcondra, Dublin, Ireland. I have no vestments, chalices, etc. for them. I wish to send these newly ordained priests to serve places where there are bodies of poor Catholic laborers, and in some of these places there is not the semblance of a church." A year later, under the guidance of their bishop, the Irish community founded St. Mary Church in 1848 with the well-respected Rev. John C. Brady at its head. Fr. Brady purchased property on Chapel Street, opposite Academy Street, and its first church was dedicated in 1851 by Bishop Bernard O'Reilly. It was a modest wooden frame structure, 36 by 40 feet. The Catholics were welcomed by many in Norwalk, and even given the right to offer Mass in the Town Hall until the church was built, but the anti-Catholic sentiment was also present. In 1854 the wooden church was set on fire and the cross on top was torn down by unfriendly citizens. Nonetheless the Irish continued to grow in faith and numbers. To understand how many of these first Catholics were Irish one has only to look at the Baptismal records. From 1854 to 1860 there were 575 baptisms, all but two them born in Ireland or of Irish descent. Furthermore, every Pastor of St. Mary Church was Irish until Msgr. Andrew Hajus was installed in 1964. The Rev. Peter Smith (1862-1875) was very dedicated to St. Mary's and set out to build the current church. He broke ground for it in 1867, and the basement chapel was dedicated roughly a year later. Here the growing Irish community could have Mass while they raised money to build the magnificent church up above. It was not until 1870 that the upper church was dedicated. Worn out by his labors he died in 1875 and is buried in historical St. Mary Cemetery of Norwalk.